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Leftwich is the starter for Sunday night if Roethlisberger can't play

Mike Tomlin confirmed in his weekly presser on Tuesday that Byron Leftwich would be the starter if Big Ben can't play. Lefty will get snaps this week with the first team.

If Ben doesn't play, or even if he does, don't be surprised if the team keeps all 3 QB's active for this one. If Ben is ruled out, they could bring in a 3rd option but nothing has been discussed as of today with that yet.

As I stated in the days prior to the KC game, this game could be a close game because except for their lack of scoring and their turnover woes, KC is not a bad football team. Don't forget, they took Baltimore to a 9-6 loss; they hang tough, but they too cannot finish games. Lefty came in without taking a snap all season, and did what he had to do.

How does this change the offense moving forward? IMO, not much. Sure Lefty does not posess the escapability skills that Ben has, but he is a "wily veteran" who with solid reps all week and for however long Ben is out, should at the ver least manage the game enough to give the Steelers a chance to win.

Now that said, The receivers are going to have to work extra hard to get used to Leftys throws vs Ben's. The line will have to stay on their blocks a little more, which means Heath, Paulson, or the RB of the week will have to chip the pass rush a liittle bit, but Lefty is far from a rookie. The philosophy should not change; get the ball out of the QB's hand quickly and hit the WR's in space and let them get YAC. Runnnig game has to be proficient, somewhere around 4-4.5 YPC.

Defensively, the Steelers just need to be themselves. They have to contain Rice, Richardson, and whoever else they might face in Ben's absence and not allow any WR to take the top off the defense. Not sure where Troy or Clark stand in regard to playing next week, but we need one or both to play. Specials need to be better than they were last night, especially in the return game and Tomlin needs to keep his emotion out of 4th down calls and be smart...not saying coach not to lose, but be smart.

Ravens are not what they used to be, especially defensively, but they are a familiar opponent. We are more familiar with them because we have seen their offense and defense 1st hand, while they have not seen out offense except for film study, and they are coming to the burgh. This game is a winnable game as long as the Steelers don't try too hard, and just play within themselves. Now more than ever, it is important for the Steelers to convert 3rd downs and dominate TOP. In the meantime, hope Ben heals quickly and Byron and company hold it together until he returns.